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TOURISM

Spain’s Vigo to fine beachgoers who ‘set up camp’ and dominate space

The city's mayor has warned that beachgoers who hog space on the beaches in the northern city could soon be hit with some pretty hefty fines.

Published: 29 August 2024 15:05 CEST
Spain's Vigo to fine beachgoers who 'set up camp' and dominate space
Tourists bask in the sun on the beach. Photo: JOSE JORDAN/AFP.

Local authorities in the city of Vigo in northern Spain are set to crackdown on beachgoers who set up camp and dominate space on the city’s beaches.

Vigo city council will prohibit the use of ‘windbreakers’ and other large objects used to block off and create private areas on the beach and will implement the rules with fines.

This was announced by the city’s mayor, Abel Caballero, who explained that the fines will range from €751 all the way up to €1,500 in the event of repeat offenders.

READ ALSO: Ten colourful characters you’re likely to spot at Spain’s popular beaches

According to the rules, it will be considered a serious offence to “camp, set up tents, canvas structures or similar” on the city’s beaches.

Posting on Twitter/X, Caballero stated that there has been a sudden increase in the number of people using them: “In view of the sudden proliferation of the use of windbreakers on Samil beach, Vigo city council carried out an information operation this morning to inform users.”

In recent weeks several examples of beachgoers hogging sand space have been uploaded to social media. 

Caballero also made clear that the many beachgoers who use windbreakers or other large objects to separate spaces do not do so to protect themselves from wind but rather to secure a spot on the beach and reserve it all day.

This mainly happens on the city’s famous Samil beach, the mayor added. He also suggested that large constructions and private areas can prevent lifeguards and emergency services from carrying out their work.

“The regulations prohibit obstacles so that lifeguards and rescue personnel can act. We are trying to fix this without imposing fines, but if this continues… we will impose fines,” he explained.

“It is a real shame what is allowed on the beaches these days,” said one Twitter/X user when uploading a picture of Samil beach split up by private areas running from the shoreline all the way to the promenade. 

Vigo, in northern Spain’s Galicia region, welcomes a large influx of tourists every year. It is particularly popular with Portuguese tourists and Spaniards from southern Spain moving north to try and escape the sweltering summer temperatures.

The debate about beach etiquette is nothing new in Spain, nor is tension between locals and tourists and wider discussion about Spain’s tourism model in general.

Some small towns in Andalusia in southern Spain have also threatened beachgoers with fines in recent years, and popular tourist destination Benidorm, in the Valencia region, has created so-called ‘security corridors’ on beaches to facilitate access in case of emergencies due to large crowds.

The crackdown in Vigo is further evidence of shifting attitudes in Spain towards tourism and the type of tourism it wants to attract. In recent months Spain has been swept by a series of anti-tourism protests, including in major cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga, as well as traditional island destinations like the Canary and Balearic Islands.

READ ALSO: Should I cancel my trip to Spain because of the tourism protests?

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PROPERTY

Is buying a property to rent out to tourists in Spain too risky now?

The quick return on investment for buying a holiday let in popular Spanish cities and towns can be very appealing, but there are increasing signs that the money-making scheme could come to an end soon. 

Published: 10 September 2024 10:32 CEST
Is buying a property to rent out to tourists in Spain too risky now?

Regardless of what you think are the causes of Spain’s housing crisis, one thing is clear: short-term holiday lets are up to four times more profitable than long-term rentals. 

Just how remunerative they are can depend on many factors (occupancy rate, location etc), but according to Spanish property portal Housfy, a tourist let provides an average net profit of 15 percent a year.

With this in mind, it’s no surprise that tourist apartments have proliferated across the country: 9.2 percent alone in the last year, which adds up to around 60,000 new ones.

As Spain welcomes more and more tourists (84 million in 2023, a record that looks set to be beaten in 2024), you’d expect the goose that laid the golden eggs to continue plugging away.

However, the simmering resentment from disgruntled residents who blame mass tourism and holiday lets for their spiralling rents does appear to be having an impact. 

OPINION: Spaniards should blame landlords, not tourists

There is currently no outright nationwide ban in Spain on Airbnb-style lets, but a growing number of small towns and big cities have taken action in recent weeks and months. 

From Dénia on the Costa Blanca to Pamplona in the north, municipalities across Spain are introducing temporary moratoriums on new licences for tourism apartments, which should in theory prevent new ones from popping up (there are tens of thousands of unlicensed holiday lets, especially in Madrid). 

READ ALSO: Which cities in Spain have new restrictions on tourist rentals?

Barcelona authorities have perhaps taken the toughest approach so far, as their mayor Jaume Collboni actually said there will be no more tourist rental flats in the Catalan city by 2028. 

READ ALSO: Can Barcelona really ban all Airbnbs?

So is it possible to envision a future where holiday lets are not allowed in Spain? And if so, would it be better for small and big investors to ditch plans to buy a Spanish property if the primary purpose of it is to let it out to tourists?

Hatred of holiday lets is on the up in Spain, the world’s second most visited country, prompting authorities to try and reconcile the interests of locals and those invested in this lucrative sector. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)

Spain’ Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez has on several occasions hinted at the need to “regulate tourist flats” rather than banning them entirely, although in July she did say “if we need to ban tourist flats, we will; if limiting them is enough, we’ll limit them”.

There’s been talk of legislation to ban holiday lets in residential apartment blocks, as well as putting a stop to temporary accommodation (longer than short-term lets but shorter than long-term rents). 

But in truth, things are moving slowly and the Spanish government appears to be somewhat sitting on the fence regarding restrictive measures, all too happy to pass the buck to the regions and individual town halls. 

There is clearly an awareness of all the vested interests in the holiday let industry, that not all landlords own a dozen properties, and even the legal implications of banning citizens from doing as they please with their assets.

What does seem clear is that city centre properties and those in the popular old quarters of Spanish cities and towns are most likely to be limited by local regulations, at least temporarily.

The same applies to tourist flats in residential buildings, as there is currently an amendment in the pipeline which would give communities of neighbours the power to veto new holiday lets in their blocks. 

Therefore, investors should consider whether properties that fall in these categories are future-proof in terms of short-term letting, and whether they’ll have to swap over to long-term letting at some point.

Spain’s latest Housing Law, which came into force in 2023 and sought to stop long-term rents from increasing, has actually led many landlords to either find loopholes or take their properties off the market. 

READ MORE: Why landlords in Spain leave their flats empt rather than rent long-term

With more demand and less stock, rents have logically continued to increase in 2024.

The legislation has clearly backfired, and with a boost in social housing a very long-term solution, Sánchez’s government may be forced into a corner and have to act vis-à-vis holiday lets if the situation becomes more untenable. 

READ MORE: Has Spain’s Housing Law completely failed to control rents?

A blanket ban is unlikely, as short-term rentals in more rural locations with fewer inhabitants have less of an impact on rents.

But buying a property in Spain in a central or sought-after residential area in Spain (especially in an apartment block) with the sole purpose of letting it out to tourists, now appears to have its risks as a long-term investment.

READ ALSO: VUT, AT or VV? Why Spain’s holiday let categories matter to owners

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